Call Me Maybe
by my shangri-la
Summary: Just another Dom meets Letty scenario. Slightly AU. Not a song-fic, but I couldn't get the song out of my head, and this little drabble kept bugging me. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

_**Call Me Maybe**_

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Not the song that's stuck in my head, not the characters… just the hopping plot bunny I'm feeding carrots to…**

**Rated: M for language and potential naughtiness…?**

**A/N: One-Shot Maybe? Or a three-shot… Up to you guys if I should continue for a bit.**

_**Chapter 1**_

Letty Ortiz leaned against the side of her Nissan Silvia S14. "_Damn_", she murmured to herself. "This is insane."

The mass of people was clearly high on adrenaline and NOS fumes. And Letty was certain some people wore more articles of clothing to the beach. She wondered how many of these skanks planned for 'accidental' nipple slips. Her lip curled in disgust.

Letty peered down at her own outfit discreetly. Yes, she had a fair amount of skin showing, as well as the lacy edges of her red bra that peeked from under her buckled black vest that left most of her midriff exposed. But her breasts weren't hanging out, and her black leather pants actually covered her ass when she bent over.

Then a deliberate movement caught her eye as the crowd parted. A large, well-muscled, bald man in a wife beater started giving orders. She cocked on eyebrow at the scantily clad women that hung off his arms practically drooling. "You've gotta be joking", she shook her head.

"Haven't seen you here before", another man approached her, but kept a decent amount of space between them and thankfully knew better than to lean on her car. She was grateful that she didn't have to dig her brass knuckles from the pocket of her leather pants… or kick him in the balls with her steel-toed flaming boots. A few months in Juvie was one thing, but prison for assault would be quite another.

She shot him a glance. "Haven't been here before", Letty drawled. "Isn't that how it works?"

"Tough chick, huh?" he laughed. "I'm Hector."

"How nice for you."

"You're not gonna throw me a bone?"

"You a dog?" both of her eyebrows shot up. Then her mouth twitched and she gave in. "Letty."

"Nice to meet you, Letty."

"Uh-huh… so, who's the ass-clown?" she gestured to the man who had caught her eye earlier who was gesticulating grandly towards people and their cars.

Hector choked. "'_Ass-clown'?_" he stifled a laugh. "Don't let him hear you say that or he might take it as a challenge. Dom's sort of a local legend around here."

"Dom?" she persisted casually, brushing back a few tendrils of hair that slipped into her face from the messy bun on top of her head.

He grinned knowingly. "Dominic Toretto."

She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "So, what?" she asked curiously. "He thinks he's the king of the streets or something?"

"He _is_ the King of the streets, sweetheart", Hector chuckled. "Never lost a race."

She smirked thoughtfully. "We'll see about that."

0

Dominic Toretto had finished choosing four racers for the set and realized he was missing one of his partners in crime. They had ten minutes before the race would begin, provided the cops didn't show up. He interrupted his scruffy friend's flirtation with a busty blonde with a grin.

"Hey, Vince, have you seen Hector?"

Vince refocused his attention reluctantly and glanced around. He nodded to their right. "There", he pointed. "He's talkin' to some chick." His head tilted as he studied the Latina curiously before shaking his head. "She's way outta his league. And she's probably a lesbian", he complained.

Dom laughed aloud and raked his eyes over the unknown female. She looked comfortable in the crowd, but she stood out. Her outfit was sexy in a classy kind of way, not slutty compared to most of the girls who flaunted their bodies hoping to be taken home – most wanted to be taken home by _him_. And besides that, the way she leaned against her car said that she knew how to _drive_ it. It wasn't for show.

Her head turned in his direction, but he couldn't be sure she was looking at him. He nudged Vince again. "I'm gonna go find out who she is."

Vince snorted. "Good luck with that, man."

Dom headed purposefully towards Hector and the mystery woman, brushing off the rest of the crowd with a good-natured grin.

"Hector", he called as he approached. "Who's your friend?"

Before Hector could get a word in edgewise, the young woman spoke. "One, _we_", she gestured between herself and Hector, "just met. So I would hardly call us friends. And two, I am standing _right here_. Don't talk like I can't hear you."

He smiled widely. "Oh, I like you", he said amusedly. "You've got a bad habit for ball-busting, don't you?"

"I wouldn't call it a bad habit", she frowned.

"You got a name?"

She nodded, "Yep."

"You're not gonna make this easy on me, are you?" he sighed. Hector edged away from the duo silently.

She shook her head, "Nuh-uh."

"I'm Dom", he offered.

"I've heard", she said wryly. She waited a beat before giving in. "Letty", she answered.

Dominic grinned. "_Letty_", he repeated in a low voice.

She felt the hair on her arms raise at the way he said her name and held back a shiver. She was in _trouble._

"That your car?" he gestured behind her curiously.

"It is."

"Can you drive it?"

She glared at him, affronted. "Of course I can drive it. Asshole", she growled under her breath.

"You're new around here", he observed mildly.

She relaxed slightly. "It's a hell of a lot different from Vegas", she allowed.

"You're from Las Vegas?"

She nodded.

"I think you should let me take you out", he said suddenly.

She smirked at his audacity and blatantly looked him up and down. "Honey, I'd eat you for lunch – and dinner."

"You should let me take you out", he repeated with a wide smile. "Someone should show you around L.A., keep you outta trouble", he teased.

Her eyebrows rose incredulously. "You think I look like trouble?" He just nodded twice. "I can handle myself", she said assured confidently.

"I'm sure you can", he said seriously.

Her mouth twitched into a semblance of a smile for just under a second. "If you're trying to get into my pants, you're going to have to work harder", she chuckled. "We've just met, and I'm not easy like the rest of your fan club."

Dom laughed. "Are you gonna give me the opportunity?"

"To get into my pants?" she asked dryly. "You don't even have to ask a girl on a date, do you? They just fall in your bed?"

He grimaced. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Sure you didn't", she teased.

"I didn't!"

She eyed him thoughtfully and held her hand out. "Let me see your phone."

"Excuse me?"

"Let me see your phone", she repeated slowly.

He shook his head in amusement and fished the cell phone from his pocket and dropped it in her hand.

"Now, was that hard?" she teased, familiarizing herself with his contact list before adding her number. She gave him extra brownie points for having less female numbers in his phone than she had first assumed. She handed it back to him with a cocky grin. "Call me, maybe", she said, "If you can find my name mixed with all the rest."

"I'll speak to you soon, Letty", he promised.

She grinned outright. "We'll see."

"You'll stay to watch the race?" he stated more than asked. "We're about to start."

She nodded slightly. "Go on. Maybe we'll talk later."

"Bet on it, sweetheart."

Then he left to start the race, her eyes following him as he walked away.

0

**A/N: **Okay, first short story _ever._ It could possibly turn into a three-shot if you like it. Let me know how it was.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Call Me Maybe**_

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Not the song that's stuck in my head, not the characters… just the hopping plot bunny I'm feeding carrots to…**

**Rated: M for language and potential naughtiness…?**

_**Chapter 2**_

Dom went home alone from the races the night he met Letty. And he laid in bed awake for hours, thoughts of her running rampant in his mind. Finally, just before six, he grabbed his phone from the end table and found her name in his contact list. He only took a second to think about _not_ calling before deliberately pressing the green button.

It rang several times before she answered. "_Ugh_, fuck, _what?_" she growled sleepily.

He laughed roughly. "Well, you're charming in the morning."

"Bite me", she complained, the gravel of his voice immediately alerting her to who was on the other end of her phone, along with the name that glowed on her screen since she had texted herself his number from his phone before giving it back to him. "Dominic, couldn't you wait at least twenty-four hours?"

"Thinking about you kept me up all night. Come watch the sunrise with me."

She groaned. "I hate mornings."

"Drag that sexy ass out of bed and meet me at the pier in twenty minutes. I'll bring you some coffee", he tempted.

She swore under her breath. "Make it a big one", she muttered before hanging up.

0

Letty sat on top of a picnic table on the boardwalk facing the rising sun when Dom approached. He took a spot next to her, nudging her shoulder before passing her one of the Styrofoam cups.

She took it and flashed an actual smile and gulped down a few mouthfuls before frowning thoughtfully. "Should I be worried? You're not a serial killer or something, are you?"

He grinned. "What do you think?"

"I dunno. I mean, a guy I just met like six hours ago calls me before the ass crack of dawn, bribes me with coffee – is there a roofie in here?" she gestured to her cup, but continued without waiting for an answer, "and I just hopped out of bed-"

"Let's be honest", he laughed. "You did not _hop_ out of bed."

"I _fell_ out of bed", she muttered self-depreciatively. "But here I am, with you- this is _crazy._ Why did I agree to this?"

"Yeah, you could have gotten kidnapped or something while you were waiting for me", he teased.

She snorted. "Not likely."

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, taking in her outfit and her braided hair. He resisted the itching of his fingers to unravel the braid and see how long her hair really was. "You ever wear anything but black?"

She nodded seriously. "Sometimes I wear grey."

"Smartass."

"My sunglasses are white", she pointed to the top of her head.

"Your car is pink."

"_Magenta_", she growled. But then she shrugged, with a devious sort of grin on her face. "It used to be black."

He raised an eyebrow. "You ever raced?"

"Yeah."

"Win?"

Her lips twitched, "Every time."

Dom groaned. "That is so hot."

She laughed outright. "You're free to try explaining that to my ex if he has the nerve to come around to beg for his car back."

He laughed. "_What? _You won your ex's car?"

"It was his own fault", she shook her head. "He was running his mouth. He didn't mind my winning all the time until a few people mentioned that head and I had never raced each other. He said it was because I was afraid of losing to him."

Dom snorted. "He sounds like a winner."

"Anyway, I took his car and I dumped him. The next thing I did was paint the car. I had put more work into that car than he ever did, so I don't feel much guilt over taking it."

He laughed. "Tell the truth. You don't feel _any_ guilt over it."

"Nobody likes a know-it-all, Dominic", she said lazily.

He bumped her shoulder. "Drink your coffee, Letty."

"That was two months ago", she continued before taking another drink. "After that, I didn't have any other reason to stay where I was, so I packed up and started driving. Not really sure how I ended up here, but I'll see what L.A. has to offer."

Dom was silently thoughtful for several minutes, and she didn't try to interrupt the quiet which he appreciated. He hadn't met many females that didn't feel the urge to fill silence with inane chatter.

"How much of that car did you build?" he asked finally.

Letty tilted her head wryly. "It might be easier to tell you what I _didn't_ do to that car."

"You need a job?"

She turned to look at him fully. "Excuse me?"

He chuckled. "I own a garage. "I've been trying to get a few more people in there, and nobody we've had in there the past few months has worked well. Plus the fact that you can paint as well will get my sister off my back. She's already got her hands full with our food shop and doing the banking. She said if I didn't get someone to take over most of the detailing I had to start paying her double", he laughed.

"So, this revolving door of mechanics… is that because you're a pain in the ass to work for?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Yes", he said seriously. "Yes I am."

She stared at him for a moment before bursting out laughing. "Maybe we can work something out", she offered finally.

"Maybe we can", he said quietly.

She stood up and stepped off the picnic table and stretched. "Come on. You may have dragged me out of bed three hours early, but you brought me coffee. Breakfast's on me. I'm starving."

0

**A/N:** Okay, here's chapter two – another short little drabble for this 'verse – since you guys were awesome and left a bunch of reviews. Glad you're enjoying so far. Let me know what you think about this one. I may have a few more ideas.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Call Me Maybe**_

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Not the song that's stuck in my head, not the characters… just the hopping plot bunny I'm feeding carrots to…**

**Rated: M for language and potential naughtiness…?**

**A/N: One-Shot Maybe? Or a three-shot… Up to you guys if I should continue for a bit.**

_**Chapter 3**_

Mia was cleaning up the remnants of the breakfast mess when he walked in the back door. "We missed you at breakfast", she said, sparing a glance at him over her shoulder.

"Stop it", he chuckled. "You sound like Mom when you talk like that." Dom nudged his sister away from the sink and gestured to the table. "Sit. I'll finish cleaning up. Where are the Three Stooges?"

"Vince said something about- well, to be honest, I have no idea. His mouth was full. But Leon and Jesse seemed pretty hopped up about it." She smirked and pulled herself onto the counter next to the sink instead. "Don't think I didn't notice you avoiding my question just because you offered to clean. Not that I don't appreciate it."

He smothered a grin. "Hey, I might have found someone to take over most of your work at the garage."

She raised an eyebrow. "Did you? I know you like to start the day early, but it's not like you to be out of the house before dawn unless you're at the garage. And I know you weren't there. Vince called. Are you hungry? I'll make you some eggs and toast."

"I ate. But thanks. You're the best, Mi."

"I know."

"And modest", he teased.

"Yeah, I get that from you, I think", she grinned. "So? You said you found someone for the garage."

"Yeah", he nodded, mouth twitching. He couldn't _wait_ to see his sister's reaction to this. "I met her at the races last night."

"_Her_? Dom if you're trying to convince me that hiring some busty blond airhead-"

"First of all, little sister, she's not blonde. Second, I invited her to dinner Friday night, so you can check out her rack for yourself", Dom chuckled. "And third, I think if you called her an airhead to her face she might punch you."

"_Dominic_", she groaned warningly. "Wait a minute", Mia glared at him accusingly. "You met this girl last night and you went to see her before breakfast this morning? What are you doing, Dom? Not that I wouldn't be thrilled to have another female around, because Lord knows this place is filled to the brim with testosterone as it is, but don't hire her to try to get in her pants."

"Hey now-"

"Don't be like that", Mia rolled her eyes and spoke calmly. "You know how you are with women, so don't act offended. You made sex into a hobby a long time ago. I'm just telling you that the way things work around here, bringing that crap home with you wouldn't be a good idea."

He made a face and shuddered dramatically. "Can you and I not talk about my personal life like this ever again?"

She laughed. "Dom, I'm twenty years old. Embrace the reality check."

"I'll be careful, Mia. For the record though? I think you'll like her."

"Alright", she grinned. "Bring her over. See if she can handle the knuckleheads. If you like her enough that you think she's worth bringing home for more than a few hours, I know things will work themselves out."

Dom laughed out loud. "Vince is going to be pissed to find out she's not a lesbian and he didn't go after her."

Mia made a face. "You might want to reconsider getting him a muzzle."

"If you could get it on him", Dom rolled his eyes.

"Dom, he'd probably think it was kinky", she said seriously.

"_Mia!_"

Mia just laughed outright. _Sometimes being the little sister was __**awesome**__._ Other times it was a pain in the ass.

0

Letty went back to her small apartment after her breakfast with Dom and immediately went back to bed. When she woke up the second time it was nearly noon, and she dragged herself out of bed and forced herself to start painting her living room. She had finished the bathroom a few days ago, and was slowly working her way to painting her bedroom – the whole place needed overhauled so she had gotten a deal.

Painting was mindless work, and her thoughts wandered to her past couple months in L. A. it didn't escape her notice that nothing stood out nearly as much as the past few days since she had met Dominic Toretto. She would do her best not to let him find that out. She had a feeling his ego was large enough as it was.

Her mouth twitched. She couldn't exactly fault him for it. Letty would admit, at least to herself, that he was hot shit.

She wasn't even going to attempt analyzing her actions though. She had given a guy she had known for less than ten minutes her phone number, and then had gone on a semi-date with him not even a day later. It would have been less personal if she just slept with him.

And with that thought, she clamped down on any lingering thoughts of the man.

_On the other hand…_ maybe she should think about getting a wax. _No._ She was getting way ahead of herself. And she was asking for trouble. She might end up working for the man. And making him a rebound would not be a good idea. As sexy as he was, Letty was determined to stop thinking about jumping his bones.

And she had agreed to eat dinner with his family. What the hell was the matter with her?

Damn Dominic Toretto and his overly charming smirk.

He was the kind of man her mother had warned her about. But then again, her ex had been as well. She definitely had a type.

She had a feeling he was the kind of trouble her personal life didn't need.

The trouble would be convincing _him_ of that.

0

**A/N:** The next chapter will be Letty meeting the rest of the gang. It will probably be my longest chapter for this story so far. Thanks for the reviews. It keeps me inspired!


	4. Chapter 4

_**Call Me Maybe**_

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Not the song that's stuck in my head, not the characters… just the hopping plot bunny I'm feeding carrots to…**

**Rated: M for language and potential naughtiness…?**

**A/N: Alright! So the general consensus was 'keep writing', so we are onto chapter four already. Thanks to all the reviewers! You make my day.**

_**Chapter 4**_

"Oh, for the love of-"

Letty cursed under her breath and rifled through her dresser drawers for the second time, "Where the hell-? I really need to do laundry", she muttered under her breath and chanced another look towards the alarm clock on her dresser. "_Ah!_ Found you, ya little bitch." Letty held up an olive-colored spaghetti strap tank triumphantly, happy it wasn't wrinkled, and threw it on the bed with a pair of jean shorts. She trotted to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

As she got dressed and finished getting ready, Letty considered the predicament she found herself in. Just how in the _hell_ did she let Dominic Toretto talk her into coming to his house for a barbeque? She really wasn't a family-friendly type of girl. This might go over like a lead balloon. She was beginning to understand that Dominic Toretto could be very persuasive, and wasn't used to taking no for an answer. But then again, he hadn't met Letty Ortiz before.

Her favorite place to be was under the hood of a car… or a really hot man if he was worth her time – but that was beside the point. She shook off that last niggling thought and went back to the bathroom to dry her hair and do her makeup.

She had to leave in ten minutes or she would be late.

Letty grabbed her cell phone, keys, and wallet, slipping into tennis shoes before heading out the door.

When Dom had called her yesterday, he had offered to come pick her up. She had snorted indignantly, saying, 'I'll drive my own damn car, thank you very much. Just text me the address.'

She was starting to regret that decision now though, even though she had wanted to shatter any illusions that she would be brought home to meet 'the family' – or however the hell that was supposed to work. She had known her ex casually for years before they hooked up.

But now she would have to make an entrance, more or less on her own, and Letty was feeling a little out of her element. She scolded herself internally to stop acting like such a chicken shit.

Some fifteen minutes later, Letty pulled up to the correct house that matched the address that Dom had given her. She took a brief moment to brace herself and then got out of her car.

Letty was saved from having to knock because mere seconds after her car door was closed, a young woman stepped out onto the front porch.

The girl had a delicate but angular face, and Letty didn't think it would be wise to underestimate her. The girl appraised her discreetly, surprise crossing her face briefly before schooling her features and walking gingerly down the cement steps.

"Are you Letty?" she called.

Letty pushed her sunglasses up onto her head. "Guilty", she answered lightly.

"I'm Mia, Dom's sister", she gave a friendly smile. "Come in, if you dare. Although I doubt Dom gave you any fair warning about the men in our family." She rolled her eyes.

Letty raised an eyebrow. "Warning?" she questioned.

"They have no manners", Mia rolled her eyes.

"Is that different from any other guy on the planet?"

"True", Mia smirked. "Okay. Come on", she gestured to the front door. "Dom's on the grill out back."

Letty hummed her acknowledgement and followed Mia into the house. She took in the homey feel of the lower level of the house, trailing behind Mia into the kitchen and her ears picked up roughhousing coming from the backyard.

Mia opened the refrigerator and gestured to its contents. "Want a drink? Make yourself at home. We've got beer and water." Her eyes rolled briefly, and she grabbed two bottles of Corona. She twisted the cap off of one and passed it to Letty before opening her own and taking a drink.

Letty raised an eyebrow. "I don't look like someone who drinks water?"

"No", Mia grinned, shaking her head. "You really don't. Come on", she nodded at the door. "Dom heard your car pull up. He would have come out if he could trust the Three Stooges around the grill." The back door slammed open easily.

A guy with a short ponytail squeezed past Mia to get to the fridge, pausing only to drum playfully on the top of her head. "As one of the afore-mentioned Stooges, let me just say, we're all offended", he said lazily as he popped the lid off his bottle.

Mia buried a grin. Things had gotten lively when Leon and Jesse showed up two years ago. "Leon, Letty; Letty; Leon", she motioned mildly.

Letty tried not to smirk as the man blatantly checked her out before meeting her eyes, "Nice to meet you. Maybe Dom will shut up about you now that's he finally got you over here." He rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

Letty's mouth twitched. _Well then… _"It's like that then?" she laughed. "Nice to know I made an impression."

Mia snorted. "That's an understatement. But it was a good one, so don't worry about it."

Dom's voice rang out then as he shouted, "Get your asses out here and stop interrogating her already! Food's almost done."

Mia raised an eyebrow at Leon. "Did he send you inside to come get us?"

He shrugged. "I was gonna be subtle about it."

"Sure you were", she murmured dryly.

Letty laughed under her breath. "Does this happen often?"

"What? Dom being bossy and the following subterfuge? Nope, never", Mia said facetiously. "Come on. If we don't get out there, Vince will eat everything."

Letty followed them out the back door, the sizzling smell from the grill becoming even more prominent.

"See, Dom?" Leon called. "I got them!"

Mia coughed to hide her laughter.

"Sure you did, bro", another scruffy looking man rolled his eyes.

"Hey, there she is", Dom grinned when he saw Letty behind Mia. "I thought maybe my sister tied you up and tried to give you a make-over."

"Keep talking, Dom. I cook most of your food", Mia warned.

Dom checked the chicken on the grill one last time before closing the lid. "Almost done", he declared, ruffling Mia's hair playfully as he passed her to get to Letty. He slid an arm around the young woman's shoulders. "You made it just in time. So, you met my sister and Leon", he nodded. Then he gestured to the scruffy man with tattoos covering his arms, "That's Vince." And then he pointed to a blonde kid wearing a beanie who was sitting opposite Vince at the picnic table and sketching intently on a drawing pad, "And Jesse."

"Jess", Mia prompted quietly, taking a seat beside him. "Put that away for now. I think you're at a good stopping point. It's almost time to eat."

Jesse looked up abruptly. "What? Hey, who's that?"

"I'm Letty", she smiled slightly and slipped into a chair. "What're you working on?"

She heard Vince laugh quietly as Jesse's eyes lit up and he started rattling off graphics and specs. And she ignored the surprised looks when she made her own suggestions. Leon took a spot next to her and the car chatter began in earnest. Mia just watched the conversation ping-pong back and forth in wry amusement. She took a brief moment to peer at her brother who was watching the scene approvingly, and she spared him a wink. _This would work out. She was certain of it._

He grinned back at her briefly, before reluctantly breaking up the pow-wow. "It's time to eat!"

0

**A/N: Part 2 will be in the next chapter. It wasn't as long as I thought it would be, but I thought this would be a good place to stop for tonight, and give you all something to read. Let me know what you think! I'm enjoying all the reviews. Thanks! Hopefully the start of this section works for you. The characters will all meet properly in the next chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Call Me Maybe**_

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Not the song that's stuck in my head, not the characters… just the hopping plot bunny I'm feeding carrots to…**

**Rated: M for language and potential naughtiness…?**

**A/N: Thanks to all the reviewers! You make my day. Sorry, this chapter took a lot longer than I thought it would to get together. Enjoy the next installment.**

_**Chapter 5**_

Dom POV

Dinner was even louder than usual – and that was saying something for their family dynamic. Letty was a breath of fresh air in the midst of familiar, sibling-like banter between their group. And Dominic watched in amusement as they all just sucked her in.

"You're hiring her, right?" Leon demanded over a mouthful of barbeque chicken. "Please tell me you're hiring her."

Dom raised an eyebrow. "I haven't gotten her in the shop yet", he said mildly.

"What the fuck? Go now", Vince ordered. "There should be _one _attractive person in there I can look at." Mia glared pointedly and he rolled his eyes. "You don't count", he gestured dismissively. "I hit on you once and you kicked me in the balls."

"Uh, you pretending to trip so you could try to feel me up was _perving on me_, not hitting on me", Mia said derisively. "And you leave your dirty boxers on my bathroom floor. How realistic was it for you to think I'd find that attractive in the slightest?"

Dom groaned. "I don't need to hear this."

"Hey, he's _your_ best friend", Mia smirked.

Letty watched the ping-pong match discreetly, and tried not to laugh. Leon was next to her listening to Jesse rattle off spec modifications on a Mazda and she shook her head. The kid was a fucking genius.

After dinner was over they helped Mia clean up, and Leon and Vince began a one on one game of basketball. Mia had a few books out to get some studying done and was sitting at the picnic table with Jesse who was still going gaga over some car modifications. Letty leaned against the end of the table watching the basketball game, amused at the amount of trash talk being slung back and forth. She heard the back door slam and wasn't surprised when Dominic took a spot standing next to her.

"Are they always like that?" she laughed.

Dom grinned, "Worse."

He nudged her with his elbow. "I didn't ask, but you _are_ old enough to be drinking, aren't you?" he gestured to her beer.

She grinned. "Aw, I'm flattered. You think I could be jailbait." Then she nodded. "I'm twenty-three."

He chuckled, "Just checking. Mia's only twenty, but I gave up on trying to keep her from drinking after she turned eighteen. We'd corrupted her by then."

"No kidding", Mia muttered behind them.

"Come on", Dom said a minute later. "I'll take you to the garage."

"It's about damn time."

000

_Four months later:_

The phone at the Toretto house rang just before seven on a Thursday morning as they Mia was setting out breakfast, and she grabbed it.

"Toretto's, this is Mia", she answered.

"Hey, it's me."

"Letty, hi, you're late for breakfast", she frowned. "The guys will be down any second, and there won't even be scraps."

"It's okay", Letty said quietly. "Listen, Mia, I'm not gonna make it in today. I think I might be coming down with a bug. Can you let Dom know for me? I finished that car that was getting picked up today, so Mrs. Juarez just needs to sign the papers and write a check."

"Oh, Letty, do you need anything? I can bring you something-"

Letty chuckled, "I'll be okay. I should be in tomorrow."

Mia sighed reluctantly. "Alright, I'll tell Dom. Promise you'll call if you need anything", she said sternly.

"Will do, Mia, thanks," then she hung up.

Mia heard footsteps coming down the stairs and went back to the stove to begin dishing food onto plates.

"Who was on the phone?" Dom asked coming into the kitchen.

Mia's mouth tightened thoughtfully. "Letty called off work today. She said she was sick."

He nodded and started filling a plate. "We'll handle it. She turned in her paperwork for her car last night, and we've got an easy schedule today. What's that look for?"

"She seemed off", Mia said quietly. "I don't think she's sick. Something's wrong, Dom."

Dom sighed, leaning against the counter to eat. "Okay. I'll go check on her after work. Will that make you feel better?"

She nodded. "Yeah, it would."

He nudged her. "Quit worrying. You'll get frown lines. I'm sure she's fine. Let me know if she calls again for anything."

"I will." They both looked up and the sudden thumping coming from the upstairs hall. "Are those idiots wrestling up there?" she asked incredulously, heading for the stairs. "Hey!" she yelled. "Quit trying to break the damn house and come eat your breakfast!"

"_Yes, Ma'am_", Vince called back.

"Don't _sass _me, Vincent!"

"_Oooh!_" came teasingly from Leon and Jesse.

"Just come down here and eat before it gets cold", Mia rolled her eyes.

It sounded like an elephant stampede coming down the stairs as the three men trampled down to the lower level.

Vince paused to kiss the top of her head as he passed into the kitchen, "Sorry, Mia."

She swatted at him. "Kiss ass", she grumbled.

Dom watched their antics from his spot against the counter, only half-amused. "Get going, guys. We've got shit to do."

"Aye, aye, Captain", Leon teased, offering a mock salute.

"That's the wrong hand, numb-nuts", Mia laughed.

"Ouch", he complained, "Name calling hurts, Mi."

"Don't think I won't stop buying chips", she warned. "You guys might wake up one day and the fridge will be full of vegetables."

"Mia, you're gonna give me nightmares", Jesse made a distraught face.

She chuckled. "Eat your bacon."

0

The day went by pretty fast, and it seemed like only a few hours had passed when they started closing up. Mia waited for Dom as he locked the side door. "You're going to check on Letty, right?" she reminded.

"Yeah", he nodded. "I'll be home later. Save me some food."

He waited for her car to pull out and head towards home before getting into his own and driving in the other direction. It was a short drive, and he parked in the spot next to Letty's car only to frown when he got out. Both of the back tires were slashed. He walked quickly up the set of cement stairs to the second floor and knocked on Letty's apartment door.

He heard a rustling against the door almost immediately, and then her voice called, muffled through the door. "Mia said she would tell you I was sick. I'll be in tomorrow."

"I would have believed that if you didn't have two slashed tires", he said dryly.

"_What?!_" she yelped, "Goddammit!"

"Open the door, Let."

She groaned and slapped her hand against the wall. "Can you just call the tow truck?"

"Not until you let me in", he rapped on the door again. "Come on."

Letty grumbled under her breath and unfastened the locks angrily before swinging the doors open. "I'm fine, okay? Are you happy now?" she hissed.

"_No, you are not fine_", he snarled back at her. "What the hell happened to your face?"

Her eyes rolled irritatedly. _Seriously, what would it take to get some privacy in her own place?_ "_I'm fine_", she repeatedly slowly.

Dominic sighed wearily. He had learned early on that the Latina was not to be reasoned with – _ever._ So, instead of trying to talk her to death until she gave in – that had never happened – he just pushed her aside gently and stepped through the doorway, closing it behind him.

He took in the state of her apartment carefully. Her aluminum bat which usually stood next to the door was lying in the hallway. The lampshade had been knocked onto the floor in the living room, and there were large chunks of what had been a vase on the kitchen counter.

"Did someone break in?"

She snorted. "Yeah, let's go with that", she muttered. Letty went to the fridge and pulled out to beer bottles, opening both and leaving one on the counter away from the shattered glass.

Dom waited until she downed half her bottle before speaking again. "What happened?" he demanded flatly.

Letty shrugged. "My ex paid me a visit. We exchanged words."

"_Apparently_", he scowled.

"It was my own damn fault for not looking before I opened the door. But in my defense, it was four a.m., so I was mostly asleep."

"You should have called me."

"Did you not just hear me say that it was _four in the morning_?" she said exasperatedly.

"I heard you", he said seriously. "You should have called."

"I don't need you to-" she stopped to glare at the wall. "I can take care of myself", she finished quietly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you see my face right now? I don't really give a damn about your cocky, arrogant attitude. L.A. can be dangerous. I don't care what time it is. If you need something _call_."

"This was an isolated incident."

"Yeah, how do you know that?" he asked, unamused at her nonchalance.

"Because after he slapped me I broke his nose and busted his knee cap", she gestured towards the bat in the hallway.

He grinned then. "You're all kinds of badass, aren't ya?"

"You bet", she smirked.

"You put ice on that?" he gestured to the bruised side of her face.

"Yes", she rolled her eyes. "I told you, I'm fine."

"I'll call Leon to bring the tow truck for your car. We'll get you some new tires tomorrow, but you can't leave it sit like that-"

"It'll bend the rims. I know", she grumbled. "I can't believe that dick slashed my tires!"

"Go pack a bag", he ordered. "You aren't staying here until we know for sure he's gone."

"Excuse me?" she blinked incredulously.

"Go pack a _bag_", he repeated. "You're staying with us."

"Oh, for the love of-"

"Let me put it this way. Either I'm going to camp out on you couch for the indefinite future, or you're going to stay in our guest room for a bit."

Letty frowned thoughtfully for a minute before groaning loudly and giving in. "Fine."

He laughed. "Don't sound so thrilled about it."

"Oh, I won't", she muttered. "Leon won't be here for at least twenty minutes, so I'm gonna get a shower real quick. Make yourself at home", she said grudgingly.

"I'll straighten up in here. Are you particularly attached to those broken vase pieces, or can I toss them?"

"Garbage", she nodded. Then she nodded warily. "Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah, go wash your hair, shave your legs - whatever other girly shit you do", he teased.

She stuck her tongue out childishly before flicking him off and disappearing down the hall.

He called Leon.

Letty had finished her shower and packed her bag by the time Leon showed up with the tow truck. Vince followed in his car with Jesse. Apparently Mia had made dinner quickly and then scooted off to a study group for the rest of the night, saying she probably wouldn't be back until after her classes the next morning.

Letty took her time drying her hair and then applied some foundation to cover some of the bruising. She grabbed her keys and cell phone just as she heard Vince's car and the tow truck drive off and her door opened.

Dom studied her face with a frown. "You didn't have to do that."

"Has anyone ever told you guys that you're a bunch of worry warts?" she rolled her eyes.

He laughed, "Only my sister."

"Yeah, well, your list is up to two."

"Let's go. Mia left us some enchiladas in the fridge."

0

They settled in the family room to watch an action movie, cranking the volume up louder than usual since Mia wasn't home trying to study, intermittently throwing handfuls of popcorn at each other from their large bowls. Leon was taking up the entire couch. Vince and Jesse had confiscated two of the beanbags and settled on the floor. Letty was sharing the loveseat with Dom – she wasn't quite sure how that had happened. Letty wondered absently if they had drawn straws – she had been pricklier than usual tonight. She hadn't exaggerated earlier. These guys could fuss like old ladies.

She shot Dominic a suspicious look when his arm stretched across the back of the couch, but he was busy staring at the television. She got up briefly to toss her third Corona in the garbage and came back with a bottle of water. It was nearing eleven, and she had been awake since before four; exhaustion was catching up with her. So when she came back to her seat, Letty grabbed the throw blanket off the back of the couch and curled herself against Dom's side to use his shoulder for a pillow.

She appreciated the silence he allowed her, and it took nearly five minutes for him to move his outstretched arm. His hand slid down her back gently and settled on her waist. Her eyes were already fluttering when she would swear she felt him kiss the top of her head.

"Go to sleep", he murmured.

00

**A/N: I know! Cuddling finally, yay. Let me know how this went. It felt a little choppy, but I'm getting back on track. Drop me a comment. Thanks for the reviews so far. We're on the right train now, I think.**


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